An honest look at what’s actually running my business.

People ask me about my tech stack more than almost anything else.

And I get it. When you’re building systems for your business, it’s tempting to look at what someone else is using and think that’s the missing piece. Maybe the right tool is what’s standing between you and a process that actually works.

Sometimes that’s true. But more often, the problem isn’t the tool. It’s not having a clear process to build around in the first place.

Still, tools matter. So here’s an honest look at what I’m actually using, what I’ve walked away from, and why.

The Ones I Use

Dubsado is the backbone of my client experience. Proposals, contracts, invoices, questionnaires, automated workflows. It all lives here. I recommend it constantly because I use it constantly, and I’ve seen what a well built Dubsado setup can do for a business. It’s not the simplest tool to learn, but once it’s set up well, it runs quietly in the background while you focus on your actual work.

Flodesk handles my email marketing. It’s beautiful, intuitive, and doesn’t require a tech background to use well. If you’ve been putting off building an email list because every platform feels overwhelming, Flodesk is worth a look.

Showit is where my website lives. I love that it gives me real design flexibility without needing to know how to code. For creative service providers who care about how their brand looks and feels online, it’s a strong choice.

Pastel is one I don’t talk about as much, but I should. It’s a feedback and review tool built for designers, and it makes the back and forth on visual work so much smoother. If you’re sending over designs, mockups, or anything that usually generates a messy email thread of “can you move this two inches to the left,” Pastel cleans that whole process up.

Google Workspace for the basics: email, docs, drive. Simple, reliable, and connects easily with almost everything else.

The Ones I Dropped

I’ve tried tools that seemed great on paper but added more complexity than they solved. Platforms with features I was paying for and never touching. Scheduling tools that created more confusion than they saved. Systems that required so much maintenance that the whole point of having them felt lost.

Loom is a good example. I used it for a while to record quick tutorials and walkthroughs, but eventually realized I didn’t need a separate tool for something my computer already does. Now I just screen record on my Mac (Cmd + Shift + 5, in case you didn’t know that one) and call it done. One less subscription, one less thing to think about.

I’m also about to drop Fathom. It’s been great for meeting notes, but Dubsado just rolled out its own notetaker feature, and I’m genuinely excited to bring that piece in house instead of relying on yet another separate tool.

The pattern I kept noticing: I’d add something new hoping it would fix a process problem, and instead it just added another layer to manage.

The tool was never really the issue.

What I’ve Learned

A tool is only as good as the process behind it.

You can have the most well reviewed platform in your industry and still feel disorganized if there’s no clear structure underneath it. On the flip side, a simple set of well connected tools can run an entire business smoothly when the process is solid.

Before adding anything new, I ask myself two questions. Does this solve a real problem I actually have right now? And will I genuinely use it, or does it just sound useful?

If the answer to either is uncertain, I wait.

The Honest Truth

More tools don’t mean a better business. They usually just mean more tabs open and more subscriptions to forget about.

The goal is a lean, connected setup where everything has a purpose and nothing is running just because you set it up two years ago and never turned it off.

Start with your process. Then find the tools that support it.

Curious whether your current tech stack is working for you or just adding noise? That’s exactly what we look at in a tech stack consultation. Let’s chat.